Oct 8, 2014

Nokia has finally released the long-awaited HERE Maps application for Android. Even though it’s only available in its beta version form, Android fans will probably be happy that they now have a worthy alternative to Google Maps service.

There’s a catch though. It looks like Samsung has paid Nokia a lot of money for exclusivity over HERE Maps, at least for period of time. Although Nokia revealed its plans to make the navigation service available on the most important mobile platforms in the market, Android and iOS, it appears that now everyone will have access to the beta version from the beginning. HERE Maps, in its final version form, is only available on Windows Phone, but that’s about to change as the Finnish company is trying to push one of its most prolific products to other platforms. We’re sure Android users will definitely try Nokia’s HERE Maps service, which will be available for free when the final version is released.

In fact, for a lot of people who are now using Android smartphones, HERE Maps is the only navigation service that would be able to compete with the wildly popular Google Maps. For the time being though, the beta version of HERE Maps is only available to those who own Samsung Galaxy smartphones. The application through which the service can be accessed can be downloaded via Galaxy Apps Store.

The app can only be downloaded via Samsung's Galaxy Apps store

Previously known as Samsung Apps, the Galaxy Apps requires a valid account, just like Google Play Store does. Speaking of which, do not check HERE Maps on Google Play Store, as Samsung, as mentioned earlier, has exclusivity over the application. We’ve already downloaded the beta version of HERE Maps and can confirm that the offline maps feature is available, which is one of the advantages the application offers over Google Maps. While Google Maps allows users to download maps for offline use, they are only available for smaller regions, while HERE Maps provides users with the option to navigate whole countries without having to connect to the Internet, assuming they already downloaded the map on their smartphone.

That being said, we have no doubt that many Android users will switch to HERE Maps if Nokia does a great job at porting it on Google’s mobile platform. You can now download HERE Beta for Android for free via Galaxy Apps. Keep in mind that the application is only compatible with Samsung Galaxy smartphones.